Take Care
by Mishikaiya
Summary: Shortly after the events of ME2. Anderson tasks Commander Kaidan Alenko with finding and working with the master thief, Kasumi Goto in order to aid the 1st Special Operations Biotic Company. But, that's just a cover for Kaidan's real objective.
1. Prologue

"Anderson." The voice held a slight questioning tone. The commander had been summoned into the councilor's office with no comments regarding as to why. He found it difficult to relax his stance when he might be required to expect the worst. Not that he hadn't already witnessed the worst once, two years ago.

"I'm glad you came right away, Alenko. I have a mission for you." The councilor turned from peering out over the railing to face the commander. "I need you to find someone who is very difficult to find. I'm hoping if you search around enough, she'll come to you. "

"That's it? I was expecting something more life threatening. You're losing your touch, Anderson," Kaidan joked.

"Oh, that's not all. But, I won't tell you more until you find her. It's too risky. She's a thief. Goes by the name Kasumi Goto."

"A thief, Anderson? Really?"

"Yes. You'll understand soon enough. Locate her right away and then report back. I'll update you after."

"This intel isn't much to go on," he said, letting the sentence hang in the air a few moments.

The councilor sighed. "I'm sorry, Alenko. We don't know much now but everything will reveal itself in time."

* * *

><p>Kaidan sighed, letting his head rest in his palm. He let his elbow rest on the desk, his eyes unfocused on the screen before him. From the way Anderson had talked, he had expected to find nothing on the extranet but even his best sources were coming up empty over the last few weeks. He was about ready to turn to the Shadow Broker.<p>

And, then something binged at him.

Kaidan let his hand slip from his chin as he redirected his attention at the words in front of him. Someone was messaging him through an instant service. One he did not have installed. Sitting up straighter he read over the words a few times.

_Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Is petite and Japanese your style, Commander?_

He tapped his fingers on the desk trying to determine if the message was worth responding to. The Japanese comment did match up with what little he knew of the thief he was looking for. Kaidan weighed the risks of replying without knowing if this was who he was looking for or not. He had no other leads though, and his best one was staring him in the face having caught him unawares. For now, he would play this game.

_K-Alenko: Exactly my type right now.  
>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Oh, Commander, you're making me blush.<br>K-Alenko: Is that such a bad thing?  
>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Judging by the pictures I pulled up, not at all.<em>

Kaidan couldn't believe he was doing this. He wasn't sure how much longer he could sound so unlike himself.

_Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: So, what can I help you with, Commander? Am I really exactly your type right now? What you want? What you need?_

He felt like he was being tested. The flirting was just code. The subtext was there.

_K-Alenko: More than you know. I've been looking for someone just like you for some time now.  
>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: I bet you say that to all the girls.<br>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Meet me for drinks?  
>K-Alenko: Absolutely. Where?<em>

Immediately, it appeared that she had signed off and the program shut itself down. For a moment, Kaidan worried he had done something wrong. He had screwed up his best chance. His omni-tool pinged at him and a nearby bar, time, and table description were included in a message he received along with an extra note.

_I've been waiting for this chance for longer than you know._

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Kaidan found himself freshly clean and casually dressed, sitting at a small, private table in the dimmest corner of a loud, high-class lounge. On the table was a single red rose. He was on high alert, his eyes scanning every face, flickering towards every movement. But, he let his face remain passive.<p>

Then, he saw her. An apparition from a shadow came to him, her features hidden within a hood. A small smile played at her lips, as if she was merely toying with him. She smoothly slid into her seat before fingering the flower on the table.

"You look nice, Commander. I did not expect you to have clothes outside of your uniform." Her tone was light and teasing. Something about it made him want to drop some of his tension, enjoy a meal and a drink, but he was here on business only. He frowned at her as she ordered herself something. When he declined an offer for something of his own, she inquired, "Are you sure, Commander? Everything is very good here. You look like you could relax a little."

Kaidan's eyes narrowed at the woman before him. There was a quiet danger about her. She seemed so at ease and confident. She had shown herself competent with tech earlier when she had hacked his computer from elsewhere. This was a woman not to be underestimated. _Like Shepard._ But, unlike Shepard, Kasumi's abilities weren't on display. She didn't openly radiate the kind of power Shepard had.

"I'm sure," he responded stiffly.

As her drink was placed in front of her, Kasumi thanked the waitress and tilted her head slightly at the man in front of her before shrugging. "If you say so. I can see you want to get down to business, so let's." She sipped her beverage, keeping her eyes on Kaidan.

"Are you Miss Goto?" Kaidan realized he could only keep up with her games for so long. It was easier for him to be straightforward. His risk made her smile.

"No need to be so formal," she said as she waved her hand. "You certainly did a lot of looking for me these last few weeks."

"Yeah, and found nothing. You're a difficult woman to track down."

"For good reasons, I assure you."

By now, she had finished her small drink and looked ready to leave. Kaidan took the lead and led them from the lounge, Kasumi paying before they left the table. They weren't too far from his apartment and it occurred to the commander that she had chosen this location because she knew that information. It seemed more and more likely that this thief had done her research and done it thoroughly.

They walked in silence and a few blocks later, they were walking through his front door. As it shut behind her, Kasumi dropped her hood. As Kaidan turned towards her, he stopped and stared. He should have expected her to be young by how she spoke earlier. And, her features were definitely Japanese which he also should have come to realize. But seeing her eyes clearly startled him a bit. There wasn't anything special about them, but something about her made them interesting. It was easier to see the intelligence, the passion, and the loss behind them. For a brief moment, she was laid bare in front of him.

As soon as she noticed him staring, something about her face changed. She wasn't wearing a mask necessarily, but parts of her were hidden as easily as if she had drawn up her hood again. She interrupted his thoughts by grinning at him since she had caught him staring. Kasumi walked past him and made herself comfortable on the nearest couch, drawing her legs up beside her. "So tell me, _Commander_, what is it you need from me?"

Kaidan decided that honesty would work best with the thief, so he set himself on a nearby chair and openly told her, "I don't know. I was told to find you. After that, I report back. I assume we need your help with something but I haven't been given any other information."

She gave him a quizzical look, as if she were considering the possibilities. She even hummed a little as she thought. "It seems strange that you would be ordered to seek me out at a time like this."

Kaidan furrowed his eyebrows. "Time like what?"

Some astonishment showed on her face at that. "You really don't know? But, you report to Anderson and he most certainly knew. I can't believe he didn't tell you." During her little outburst, she had leaned forward slightly but now that she was done, she reclined against the cushions once more.

He was quickly getting frustrated. Kaidan wasn't fond of not having all the information from the start and clearly, Anderson hadn't told him something that Kasumi deemed important. He grit his teeth and felt a headache start to form behind his eyes. He tried to calm himself down as the thief watched him with interest. He almost felt bad about his behavior in front of this stranger. "I'm sorry," he sighed. His voice sounded strained and tired. "Please, tell me what it is that Anderson didn't say."

Kasumi frowned a little before she told him. "Kaidan, I worked with Shepard on her mission against the Collectors."


	2. Chapter 1

Kaidan's face was impassive at first, his mind alive with the information, trying to process it. Though he was staring straight at Kasumi, both knew he wasn't seeing her at the moment. He was elsewhere entirely. She studied his reaction, watched his thoughts race behind his eyes.

After some moments, he sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. _He must be getting a headache._ Kaidan slumped into a chair across from her and rested his elbows on his knees. His face partially obscured by his hand, he asked her, "Anything else I should know?"

Kasumi had read the message he sent to Shepard. She had heard what had happened on Horizon. Seeing Kaidan before her only confirmed her predictions on what this man was like. She sympathized with his position. The thief could hardly imagine what it would be like to see Keiji standing in front of her again, alive, much less allied with someone they had once considered an enemy. "No. That's about it," she replied softly.

Letting his hand slip from his face, he looked up at her to see the empathy in her eyes. She looked straight into his with no reservations. Kaidan leaned back into his chair, unable to shake off Kasumi's intense watchfulness. "It's late so meeting with Councilor Anderson will have to wait until tomorrow. Do you have a place to stay? Though I imagine Anderson wouldn't want me letting you out of my sight." He let out a half-hearted chuckle in an attempt to break the tension. Kaidan wasn't sure he wanted the thief staying in his small apartment despite not having anything worth stealing. Although, not being familiar with Kasumi's work, he could have something she might want.

Cutting off his train of thought, Kasumi asked, "Do you think you have the energy to detain me here?" Her smirk belied the seriousness of the matter. It would be too easy for her to toy with him. Kaidan would be able to put up a decent fight but Kasumi's tactics for escaping would probably prove too much for the biotic. His apartment was hardly a place to keep someone like Kasumi locked up for a night.

Sighing, Kaidan crossed his arms across his chest. "I really don't, Miss Goto. But what choice do I have? I can't risk losing track of you and I don't know if I can trust you to show up at the embassy tomorrow."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow at the commander. "I don't want to intrude and it would be easy for me to find other accommodations. But," she interjected, seeing Kaidan about to respond, "I see that we have little other options for our…situation. I will be content enough to stay here and give my word to not cause any trouble or…take anything of yours." Kasumi winked at the last statement, assuming that the thought had crossed Kaidan's mind at some point.

Pulling himself up, Kaidan nodded. "I appreciate your cooperation in this matter, Miss Goto. Let me grab an extra blanket and pillow for you." Taking what he needed from a hallway cupboard, Kaidan stepped back into the living room to find Kasumi standing next to the couch, prepared to accept what would make up her bed for the evening. Feeling a little awkward Kaidan scratched the back of his head, "Well, that's everything I think. Make yourself at home."

"Don't worry yourself too much, _Commander_. I'll be right out here if you need anything."

"Right. Okay. Goodnight, Miss Goto." Kaidan pivoted and once inside his room, he made sure the door shut behind him. Shaking his head at the whole situation, he checked his night stand to assure himself his pistol was still just inside the drawer. Taking his clothes off and putting them in their appropriate places, he stepped into his private bathroom to take care of his nightly ritual. But his thoughts weren't on how he brushed his teeth or rinsed off his face. Everything went back to Shepard. And Anderson.

He supposed he understood why the councilor hadn't told him just yet but his mind couldn't stop considering the possibilities. Then there was the thief. He had never heard of her before and there were no records indicating she had ever stolen anything. Which could only mean one thing since Anderson was confident she was indeed a thief: she was one of, if not the best.

Turning over under the sheets, Kaidan spied the clock to find he had been lying awake for almost an hour. Finding his mouth dry enough to warrant it, he quietly stepped from his room towards the kitchen. Stepping into the living room, he stopped dead at seeing Kasumi awake on the couch. She was curled against one of the arm rests in a form-fitting tank top, the blanket over her lap and legs, and a datapad in hand. The light on the stand next to her was on a low setting and she was absorbed in whatever she was reading.

Kaidan hadn't meant to wander his apartment in his underwear while a stranger stayed over but his mind had been so consumed with other thoughts, he had forgotten to throw something else on. Considering his options, Kaidan decided to be quick about it instead of running away from the situation. Kasumi's face was still buried in the datapad. Striding across the room and around the counter separating the kitchen from the living room and small dining table, Kaidan grabbed a glass from the cupboard and got himself some cold water from the fridge.

As he stepped from the kitchen, his eyes landed on the thief's. She was staring up at him, a small smile on her lips. His grip tightened on the glass as he was rooted to the spot. Doing the unexpected, Kasumi covered her eyes with one hand.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to invade your _privacy_."

Noticing that her eyes were truly covered, Kaidan shifted his weight. "No, I…I shouldn't have come out here like this," he hurried. Adding a quick goodnight, he quickly made his way back to his room.

As he scuttled back to his room, Kasumi had lifted one of her fingers to watch Kaidan from in between them. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing aloud.

* * *

><p>The morning found the thief in the small kitchen making instant ramen that she had fished from a cabinet and thrown in a pot. As Kaidan stepped out of his room, awake from a shower, he tilted his head slightly at Kasumi. "Um, Miss Goto?"<p>

"Sorry for snooping around your kitchen. I made you something. Nothing fancy. Just some ramen, eggs, and corn. I hope that's alright. I hear biotics need to eat more than the rest of us to keep up their energy."

Caught unawares, Kaidan stumbled over his words. "No, no. That's, well, it's great. Thank you. I can't remember the last time I bothered with a decent breakfast."

Kasumi let out a small snort. "Hardly decent but it'll do." Pouring them both a bowl, the thief made her way to the small table and set up utensils before sitting down with the commander. "So," she started, "when do we see the councilor?"

Blowing on his noodles, Kaidan kept his head down as he answered, "After eating if you're ready. I already sent him a message informing him we'd be there soon."

Kasumi hummed a noise of approval. "I'm looking forward to meeting him. I've never had the pleasure."

"Heh. Yeah. I'd imagine not."

Looking up from her food, Kasumi considered the man before her. "Was that sarcasm, _Commander_? I'm shocked. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Not everything about a person can be learned from a file, Miss Goto." Kaidan tested a small smile on the thief. Her easy nature made the banter feel natural.

A knowing smile graced her face as she replied. "No. No it can't."

When they were finished, Kasumi insisted on taking the dishes and cleaning up. As she washed the bowls, Kaidan couldn't help but comment. "I never pictured you as being so…domestic."

Talking over her shoulder, Kasumi teased him, "And what did you picture, _Commander_?"

He shook his head and let out a short laugh. "You know, I'm not sure. But certainly not this."

Walking out the door, Kasumi threw up her hood and let Kaidan lead her to a cab that took them to the embassies. Stepping into the human councilor's office, the biotic greeted Anderson.

"Ah, Alenko. Good, you're here." Looking to Kasumi, Anderson smiled and offered his hand, which she gladly took. "You must be Kasumi Goto. You come highly recommended for this situation."

"I'm surprised you know of me at all, Councilor, but I suppose with your connections, it's not impossible. So, what can I do for you?"

Gesturing, Anderson took a seat at his desk and invited the pair to sit in the chairs across from him. Kasumi easily relaxed into her chair, giving off an air of nonchalance while Kaidan was rigid in his seat, all business. He wasn't the same man who had easily conversed with her in his apartment earlier that morning. Kasumi noted this change before re-focusing on Anderson.

"As I'm sure you've discovered by now, Commander Alenko is in charge of 1st Special Operations Biotic Company. This new covert operations unit could use someone of your expertise as they are just starting out."

As he spoke, Kasumi listened to Anderson carefully. His voice carried much of his own character with it. It was no wonder he had been Shepard's commanding officer at some point. The thief nodded, understanding Anderson's position.

"You want this group to be the best they can be and for that, they should learn from the best. It's no wonder you had the Commander seek me out." She glanced over at Kaidan to check for a reaction but found nothing but a professional mask. "So, what do you need my help with exactly?"

"There a few missions where your skills would be necessary. I can send the reports to you and Commander Alenko as they become available. As for payment, I'm sure we can negotiate something."

"Of course, Councilor. If you don't mind, I'd like to consider it before we discuss it."

"I understand, Miss Goto. If you need accommodations, one of the apartments on the Commander's floor has been vacant for some time. I can take care of everything."

"Excellent. I appreciate all the effort you're going through for my cooperation."

Standing, Anderson nodded. "You could be around for some time, Miss Goto. It's best we make you comfortable."

Following the councilor's lead, Kaidan and Kasumi both stood as well. "I'll forward all relevant data to you as soon as I have it. Thank you for your help, Miss Goto."

"It's my pleasure, Councilor," she smiled.

As the pair stepped from the office, Kasumi offhandedly commented. "I like him."

Kaidan sounded distracted as he replied, "Yeah. He's something else."

Trying to grab his attention, Kasumi continued, "So, I guess we're going to be neighbors for a bit."

"Looks that way. They're going through an awful lot of trouble for you. They must be pretty desperate for your help."

An unpleasant thought cross the thief's mind but she mentally shook it off, filing it away for later consideration. Reaching the apartments, one door on Kaidan's floor had a C-Sec officer standing outside.

"Anderson works awfully fast." Accepting a datapad with the codes and other apartment information, Kasumi entered with Kaidan in tow. "Who would've thought it was the unit next door to yours?"

Kasumi looked around interested as Kaidan sarcastically replied. "Who would've thought."

"Better for keeping an eye on me."

"There is that, yes. Well, I've got some work to do. So, um, I should go."

Turning her attention from the furniture, Kasumi pivoted to face Kaidan. "Of course. Would you want to have dinner later tonight? To go over what work we might be doing?"

The offer caught the commander off guard. But there was logic to it that was difficult to deny. "Yeah, sure. I'll come get you around 7:30."

"Great. I'll see you then."

As Kaidan stepped from her apartment to his own, he shook his head at the strangeness of it all. It almost seemed like there was more to the situation than Anderson was letting on. Or perhaps he was thinking too much on it. He would know what missions the councilor had lined up for them soon enough.

Sitting at his desk, Kaidan found a new instant message from Kasumi already.

_Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Your Anderson sure is a clever one._

Kaidan's eyebrow rose slightly as he made himself more comfortable.

_K-Alenko: How so?  
>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: This place is installed with minor surveillance bugs. No cameras or mics but someone will be alerted every time I walk through the door. This terminal was rigged to track anything I did on it as well.<br>K-Alenko: I doubt it was Anderson. I get the feeling he knows what you're capable of and something like those security measures wouldn't faze you. It was probably something they installed just to make themselves feel better. Wait…Was rigged?  
>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: I circumvented it. Don't worry. I'll use it when I don't care that they know what I'm doing. If there's no history at all, they'll get suspicious. ;)<em>

Kaidan let out a small laugh at the thief's antics. He knew he should probably alert Anderson that the thief was having no issues with the security measures they put in place but he had a feeling Anderson was already aware she was capable of getting around them. But if her apartment was rigged, where did that leave his? It was a sobering thought. He hadn't considered it before now.

His fingers hovered over the enter key a moment as he weighed asking her.

_K-Alenko: What about mine?  
>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: I checked your apartment last night. It's clean. And if something happens and they check your terminal, this correspondence won't be found. This program is impossible to trace.<em>

The commander considered her answer. She could be lying to him but the chances of that seemed unlikely. There was no reason for her to.

_Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Well, I've got some errands to run. I'll see you tonight.  
>Curiosity-killed-the-krogan logged out.<em>

As he heard her apartment door whoosh open and close, his omni-tool pinged, informing him someone had left the premises. Kasumi wasn't kidding about them keeping an eye on her. She was a risky investment and they wanted to be sure she stuck around.


End file.
